Going beyond loving cars and into the car crafting area of the hobby is a big step – one the average enthusiast simply isn't prepared for.

Think of it this way:

Automotive enthusiasts are enthusiastic about cars, but the only branches of the automotive hobby that are actually focused on appreciating the automobile are going to events and collecting them.

Driving them, traveling in them, racing them, showing them, servicing them, restoring them, customizing them, or coach building them all fall into areas that aren't focused on the cars themselves, but the activities – recreation and/or craft. That means that your interests need to shift from the car to the pursuit.

What I'm talking about here is a mental aspect where-in you align your interests and motivations so that you apply yourself correctly to what you're doing.

An example: do you love Studebakers or do you love diagnosis and repair? If you are infatuated with Studebakers, but could care less about diagnosis and repair, then you won't be applying yourself correctly to the activities you are pursuing when you go about diagnosing and repairing your Studebaker – you will be focused on having your Studebaker running again, which is entirely different than making it run again, and, whether you recognize it or not, that shift in interest and motivation is critical for applying yourself and achieving success.

What's even more complex and inscrutable is the impact aligning yourself to your activities has when it relates to the satisfaction you gain from your hobby. Simply put: In order to achieve fulfillment – which is paramount to having a high quality of life – it's necessary to align your interests, motivations, and pursuits.

Whether you recognize it or not, living in an unaligned fashion will simply lead to discontentment, and turn the thing you love into a weight you carry around with you – and no one needs that.